24th District CAPS: A Failure To Communicate

On January 11, I wrote that the web sites for the 24th District CAPS were in sorry shape. CAPS (Chicago Alternative Policing Strategy) websites have not improved. At the top of the site (http://www.caps24.org) is a link for you to report graffiti. Okay, but how about a link to report murder? Or domestic violence? Or drug pushers? Call me crazy, but it seems like right off the bat CAPS tells us that their priorities are not quite right. In case you’re a couple of years behind the news, you can catch up on the National Night Out 2005. That’s right, 2005. Hey folks, update the web site. "Community Policing at it's [sic] Best!" (Not!) Want a “Public Safety Alert?” You can find it here, but only about half of the few items presented are of direct local interest. There’s a link to the Federal Trade Commission. There’s a link to an FBI alert about “New email scheme designed to extract personal financial information and implant virus,” but that’s been there since before January 11 and the link now leads to current news (nothing today about a virus). The FDA issued a new warning about drugs. Okay, how about a local warning about street drugs? The CAPS web site, of the self-described "Community Policing at it's [sic] Best!" is a lousy for local crime news and information. In January I wrote that all but one CAPS beats had no information posted or available to the general public. Has that changed? On January 11 I wrote: CAPS Beat 2411 is hosted on Yahoo! and seems to be for members only; you have to sign in. Why? Shouldn't this be public for anybody to see? What are they hiding in 2411? So, no minutes for the public. Today (March 11), CAPS Beat 2411 is at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/caps2411, and still has no information available for non-members. So I joined. “Congratulations, you are now a member of the group CAPS2411!” Now a member, I was able to see three postings from March 7 about child luring. Period. No CAPS meeting minutes visible, even after I joined the group. January 11: CAPS Beat 2412: It’s a non-interactive PDF that simply gives the dates and addresses of the meetings. No minutes. March 11: No visible change. January 11: CAPS Beat 2413: No posted minutes. Not much of anything but the 2007 schedule. There's a mysterious little phrase in Hebrew at the top right. What does it say? March 11: No visible change. January 11: CAPS Beat 2422: Again, just the 2007 schedule. No minutes. Nothing in Hebrew. March 11: They show minutes for January, but no other months. Oddly, the minutes are hosted at this web address: http://howardwatchers.blogspot.com/2007/01/beat-2422-january-meeting-minutes.html Why does 2422 only show minutes for January and no other months? Note: Kevin O’Neal once told me that CAPS minutes could not be placed on blog sites as a matter of policy, after I offered to host the minutes for 2431 on Rogers Park Bench. Hmmm. January 11: CAPS Beat 2423: Schedule only. March 11: No visible change. January 11: CAPS Beat 2424: Schedule only. March 11: No visible change. January 11: CAPS Beat 2431 was actually the ONLY beat to present minutes to the public. So although they're tardy, 2431 deserves credit for at least trying. Or seeming to try. But the other CAPS Beats are pitifully wanting. March 11: Kudos! January and February minutes have been added. Beat 2431 is still the most up-to-date, most transparent CAPS Beat in the 24th District. January 11: CAPS Beat 2432: Schedule only. March 11: No visible change. January 11: CAPS Beat 2433: Schedule only. March 11: No visible change. Let's get it together, folks.